From 2020-2024, Mrinalini Kochupillai (Nalini) was a non-tenured associate professor and core scientist at the Technical University of Munich, leading the ethics group in the Future Lab: AI for Earth Observation. Before joining the Future Lab, Nalini has been a senior research fellow with the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition (2014-2018), and with the Chair for Business Ethics at the Technical University of Munich (2018-2019). She has also been a Program Director (2014-2017) and lecturer (2013-2022) at the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC), and an adjunct faculty at the EU Business School (2013-2014; 2018) and the Franklin Pierce Law Center (FPLC) (2007-2008). She has over 15 years of experience in teaching and research in the field of business law, intellectual property (patent) law, plant variety protection, sustainable innovations (in agriculture) and business ethics. Her more recent multi-disciplinary research has focussed on legal and ethical issues/opportunities in emerging technologies such as blockchain, AI and Earth observation.

In 2023, Nalini was awarded the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant for her project “Blockchain for Biodiversity” (ReSeed) which builds on her 12-year multi-disciplinary research on means of promoting conservation and sustainable innovations with agricultural biodiversity. Previously, she has also worked on this topic as Co-PI and lead author with the University of Leeds and Art of Living Foundation (Projects titled “IP and Global Development” funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Global Challenges Research Fund).

An active blogger and entrepreneur, in 2019, Nalini conceptualized a blockchain-based start-up and brought together an international team to take the concept forward. Passionate about promoting mental health and well-being, particularly in University environments, in her free time, she teaches mindfulness, yoga, workplace wellness, and stress management seminars as a volunteer for SKY Campus EU & the UN-accredited International Art of Living Foundation.

Mrinalini Kochupillai’s list of publications is available here and her list of conference presentations and invited talks are available here